Upright vacuum cleaners are well known. Further, upright vacuum cleaners that can be converted from a floor cleaning mode into an “above-the-floor” cleaning mode are also well known. In order to carry out both of these cleaning modes, it is common for an upright vacuum cleaner to incorporate a handle assembly which can be used when required for above-the-floor cleaning. A known arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,113. In this arrangement, the handle assembly includes a handle and a wand which are attached to the cleaner head such that they form part of the airflow path within the vacuum cleaner when the machine is used in the floor cleaning mode. The handle and a wand are releasable from the cleaner head when above-the-floor cleaning is required. Whilst this arrangement is simple to implement, the air has to travel through the wand and hose when the machine is used in the floor cleaning mode. This increases losses within the vacuum cleaner. Further, when the machine is used in the floor cleaning mode, the hose hangs behind the handle and wand. This is cumbersome and frustrating for a user, and requires extra storage space.
Another known type of handle assembly forming part of a vacuum cleaner is shown in EP 1 265 519. In this arrangement, a handle and wand are releasably attached to a main body of the vacuum cleaner by a catch. A hose is stored around a part of the wand. The handle and wand can be released from the upper end of the hose, turned around and reconnected. In this way, when the handle assembly is to be used for above-the-floor cleaning, the hose is attached to the handle portion with the wand then projecting away from the hose. This arrangement includes a changeover valve which selectively directs incoming air either through the cleaner head or through the hose. Therefore, when the vacuum cleaner is used for above-the-floor cleaning, no air is drawn through the cleaner head.
A further variation of handle assembly is shown in WO 2006/008444. In this arrangement, the illustrated vacuum cleaner has a handle assembly comprising a hose and a tubular wand which is slideable between a stowed and an extended position with respect to a handle of the vacuum cleaner. The handle assembly is releasable from the remainder of the vacuum cleaner. When attached to the vacuum cleaner, the handle is fixed with respect to the main body.
It is also known to provide an extendible handle on a vacuum cleaner in order to reduce the size of the vacuum cleaner when stored. Such an arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,457. In this arrangement, a wand forms part of a handle assembly of the vacuum cleaner shown therein. The wand is extendible to provide a handle which can be gripped by a user. The wand can also be removed from the remainder of the vacuum cleaner and reattached to a hose located at the front of the vacuum cleaner for above-the-floor cleaning purposes. However, this arrangement requires separate storage of a hose, which is inconvenient for a user and adds to the overall size of the appliance.